Bill Rapp opens Nissan facility in Syracuse

Such dire economic times as these may cause for many to tighten belts and budgets and to adopt a conservative attitude financially, but one Syracuse car dealership is looking ahead.

Bill Rapp Super Store in Eastwood, a family-owned business operating since 1954, opened a state-of-the-art $4 million facility dedicated to Nissan sales and service, taking the next step in their two-year association with the Nissan brand. Syracuse-based construction firm Hueber-Breuer built the facility.

The new building is an expansion of the dealership’s campus on Burnet Avenue, offering customers the opportunity to browse new and used domestic and imported models in one location.

Bruce Rapp, co-owner of the Super Store, said it was a faith in the Nissan brand and a strong customer base that gave them the confidence to move ahead with the project despite rocky economic times.

“We’ve been through ups and downs in this business,” Rapp added, pointing to the fickle economy and the family’s long presence in Syracuse. “I wouldn’t say we’re not worried.”

The severe market, paired with recent “Big Three” bailout headlines, has not gone unnoticed by Rapp, but he pointed out the Nissan project was already underway in spring 2008 when the economy started taking a nosedive. Rather than put the project on hold, the company decided to forge ahead.

“We were well into this project before this thing hit,” Rapp said of the crisis. But the Rapp philosophy is when the economy recovers, the dealership will be ready to take advantage of the upswing, instead of scrambling to finish the expansion.

“We’re very impressed with the Nissan product and with what they have coming out in the future as well,” Rapp said. When we come out of this economic crisis, we’ll be well-positioned with a fully operational facility and years of experience with Nissan, he added.

The Nissan facility opened Dec. 31 and will be fully functioning by mid-January, offering a showroom and service facility dedicated to Nissan.